Step 9
Now let’s move onto adding detail. Lock all the current layers (select the layers you want to lock and hit Cmd/Ctrl + 2), then create a new layer and name it ‘details’. Refer back to your sketches or reference images for ideas for shapes and begin creating your own to use for details: in the next step I’ll show you how I created a floral-inspired shape.

Step 10
Using the Custom Shape tool, create a circle (hold down Alt/Opt to retain proportion), create a hexagon within the circle then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Pucker & Bloat adjust accordingly. Experiment to see what new shapes you come up with. Sometimes the most interesting shapes come about by accident – just be sure to regularly use the Align to Center feature from the Align palette to keep your shapes in check.

Step 11
Make sure every detail is accounted for and the illustration is coloured in to your satisfaction. It’s now time to export the image to Photoshop, so lock all the layers and save (Cmd/Ctrl + S).

Step 12
Launch Photoshop and open (Cmd/Ctrl + O) your file. A dialog will pop up and give you some importing options. Make sure you choose the correct source to import from and double-check that the dimensions of the image match the dimensions when you first started in Illustrator.